Self-Assembly Of Trifunctional Tripeptides To Form Neural Scaffolds

Peptide self-assembly has been exploited to generate a multitude of biomaterials that exhibit biocompatibility due to their similarity to naturally occurring proteins. Previously, we have shown that beta-tripeptides self-assemble despite containing sterically bulky, functional sidechains. Herein, we describe the synthesis of a novel beta-amino acid to allow for the synthesis of a trifunctional beta-tripeptide that remarkably maintains self-assembly and acts as a bioactive neuronal scaffold. These scaffolds show promise for studies involving neuronal cell growth and development.